Israeli newspaper surprises readers with correspondent in Abu Dhabi

An Israeli newspaper surprised its readers with a report from inside the Emirati capital city of Abu Dhabi, thus revealing it has an Israeli correspondent, Eli Leon, in the city.

Israel Today newspaper, which is printed in Tel Aviv, published a report yesterday morning written by its correspondent in the UAE, Eli Leon, on the Emirati female pilot Mariam Al-Mansouri who has recently gained publicity after she took part in airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria. However, the report lacked any interview or exclusive statements to the newspaper, as well as any statements from Emirati officials.

The newspaper praised the Emirati pilot who is fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and who has been participating in the international alliance’s raids over the past few days.

It said that “Al-Mansouri holds a rank equal to major in the Israeli army. She is an F-16 pilot who led one of the attacks on Syria last week.”

Israel Today also mentioned the statement made by UAE Ambassador to the US, Yousef Al-Otaiba: “She is a fully qualified, highly trained, combat-ready pilot, and she led the mission.”